Overview

• Charlotte confirmed the move Thursday with a public thank-you, making Smith’s departure official after earlier reports of a pending waiver.
• Smith, the No. 27 pick in 2023, averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season and started 27 games for the Hornets.
• An offseason influx of four rookies and veterans Mason Plumlee, Spencer Dinwiddie, Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton created a surplus of guaranteed contracts at guard.
• After the release, Charlotte sits at 15 standard contracts plus Moussa Diabate on a non-guaranteed deal, three two-way slots and an Exhibit 10, keeping further roster decisions in play.
• Diabate’s role and size complicate any simple cut—he logged nearly 20 minutes across 71 games last season and is one of only three players on the roster taller than 6-foot-10—while Smith could be claimed on waivers for $2.7 million this year with a $4.9 million 2026/27 option, a scenario some reports view as plausible.